Summary: Points on those gathered in the crowd to see Christ as He travled to the Hill top of Calvary

This is not the kind of kingdom that either the Palm Sunday or Good Friday crowds wanted. You see, God’s grace is the enemy of all “institutionalized religion.” Institutional religion wants to control people by misusing the Word of God. It looks for power. But God’s grace comes to set people free. And that was Jesus’ plan – to liberate; to set free; to offer grace and forgiveness and peace and to release condemned prisoners.

To Pilate, it is obvious that the peasant Jew before him is no king at all. Kings have bodyguards and armies and money and power. Jesus has none of this. Any reasonable person would defend himself against the aggression of his enemies and save his life.

Pilot knows that Jesus is not guilty of anything even close to deserving the death penalty. But the crowds press in. They shout, “Crucify Him, crucify Him, crucify Him.” They press more and shout louder. And so the sentence is pronounced – death by crucifixion.

Some of the people were common folk - wanting nothing more than a decent shake, hoping to be saved from rank poverty and economic corruption.